How Thomas More University uses Revas travel agency Business Simulation in tourism education

Thomas More University of Applied Sciences is one of the largest universities of applied sciences in Flanders, Belgium. The institution offers a broad range of bachelor’s, short bachelor’s and postgraduate programmes in Dutch and English, with campuses across the region, including Antwerp and Mechelen. Known for its practice-oriented approach, Thomas More focuses on preparing students for professional careers through applied learning, real-life projects and international study opportunities.

Students working together on a laptop during a business simulation workshop, analyzing results and discussing decisions in a classroom setting.

Revas Business Simulation Games in the International Tourism and Leisure Bachelor programme

Thomas More University of Applied Sciences uses Revas Travel Agency Business Simulation to help tourism students better understand how business decisions influence company results.

In the Leisure Travel Exploration course, which is part of the International Tourism and Leisure Bachelor programme, students run virtual travel agencies, make strategic decisions, analyse results and reflect on the consequences of their choices.

The course is taught by Inge Van Dooren, Lecturer at Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, who uses Revas as a regular part of the learning process.

For her, Revas can be described in one sentence as:
“Putting students at the heart of the tourism industry through hands-on experience in business operations, strategic decision-making, and customer-focused management.”

Why use a business simulation in tourism education?

Teaching tourism business management is not only about explaining concepts such as seasonality, product offer, marketing, pricing or competition. Students also need to understand how these elements work together in practice.

That is why Revas is used as a practical business simulation for tourism students. It allows students to apply theoretical knowledge in a realistic, industry-related environment.

Instead of only discussing how a travel company should operate, students manage their own virtual travel agency. They make decisions, see the results and adjust their strategy in the next rounds.

As Inge Van Dooren explains:

“In class, they learn about all of the important aspects around e.g. seasonality, product and marketing choices… but when they apply this in the REVAS game, they start to really understand.”

This makes the simulation a useful bridge between classroom theory and real business decision-making.

How Revas is used in the course

Revas can be not only a one-time classroom activity. At Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, the simulation is used throughout the course and students work with it regularly.

The students are Bachelor’s level learners, and the group size is around 11-30 students.

During the course, students work with the Travel Agency simulation, where they manage virtual tourism businesses. They make decisions connected with different areas of company management, including:

product and service offer,
marketing,
pricing,
seasonality,
business strategy,
competition,
financial results,
operational decisions.

Revas complements traditional teaching methods. It does not replace theory, but helps students understand how theory works in practice.

Revas as part of course assessment

At Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Revas is an important part of the course assessment.

The final grade is divided into two main parts:

Assessment element	Share of grade
Theory	50%
Revas business simulation	50%

Students need to pass both parts. In addition, they prepare a report from the simulation in which they describe their decisions, analyse their results and present conclusions.

This makes Revas more than an engaging classroom exercise. It becomes a structured learning and assessment tool that supports deeper reflection.

Students do not only play the simulation. They also need to understand what happened, why it happened and what they could do differently.

Increasing student engagement with business simulation games

One of the strongest benefits of using Revas is higher student engagement.

In the feedback, student engagement compared to traditional teaching was rated as much higher. Revas’ impact on active participation in class was rated 5 out of 5.

According to the lecturer, students are engaged throughout the simulation. The competitive element between teams also increases motivation.

“The whole time there is high engagement and especially also the competition between teams.”

From the meeting feedback, students are motivated, involved in the decision-making process and eager to play further rounds. The simulation encourages them to test different strategies and observe how their decisions influence results.

This is one of the reasons why Revas was rated as much more effective compared to traditional teaching methods.

Helping students understand business decision-making

A key goal of using Revas in tourism education is to help students understand the consequences of business decisions.

In a traditional classroom, students may learn what decisions companies make. In the simulation, they experience how those decisions influence their own virtual company.

They see that business results depend on many connected factors, such as strategy, pricing, marketing, customer demand, seasonality and competitors’ actions.

The most noticeable change observed by Inge Van Dooren was:

“More detailed reflection on business choices and higher understanding of the impact of their decisions.”

This is especially important in tourism education, where students need to understand that business outcomes are rarely shaped by one decision only. In a competitive market, every team’s strategy can influence the results of others.

Why the Travel Agency simulation works for tourism students

The Travel Agency simulation is especially relevant for students in tourism, leisure and hospitality-related programmes.

It gives them a practical business context connected with their field of study. Students do not work on generic examples. They manage a company from the tourism industry and make decisions that are close to the reality of travel businesses.

This helps students understand areas such as:

tourism product design,
customer demand,
seasonality,
marketing choices,
competitive positioning,
business strategy,
decision consequences.

By running a virtual travel agency, students can make mistakes safely, test different ideas and learn from the results without real-world risk.

This makes Revas a practical tool for experiential learning in tourism education.

Results of using Revas Business Simulation Games

Based on the lecturer’s feedback, using Revas in the Leisure Travel Exploration course helped to:

increase student engagement,
improve active participation in class,
connect theory with practical business decisions,
support better understanding of business results,
encourage reflection on strategic choices,
show the impact of competition between teams,
help students understand the tourism industry from a business perspective.

Inge Van Dooren rated the likelihood of recommending Revas to other educators as 5 out of 5.

She also appreciated that Revas is continuously updated and improved.

Conclusion: business simulation as a practical teaching tool for tourism education

At Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Revas Business Simulation Games are used to bring tourism business education closer to practice.

By managing virtual travel agencies, students learn how business decisions affect company results. They apply theory, compete with other teams, analyse outcomes and reflect on their decisions in a final report.

For tourism students, this creates a more active and practical learning experience.
Revas helps students move from learning about the tourism industry to making decisions inside it.

If you’re looking for a way to make your classes more engaging and practical—without rebuilding your entire course structure business simulations are a proven solution.

👉 See how it works in practice
👉 Test it with your students
👉 And decide based on real experience

Let’s talk.

How Thomas More University uses Revas travel agency Business Simulation in tourism education

Revas Business Simulation Games in the International Tourism and Leisure Bachelor programme

Why use a business simulation in tourism education?

How Revas is used in the course

Revas as part of course assessment

Increasing student engagement with business simulation games

Helping students understand business decision-making

Why the Travel Agency simulation works for tourism students

Results of using Revas Business Simulation Games

Conclusion: business simulation as a practical teaching tool for tourism education

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